Chapter 42: Subtle Moves
"Lightning Release: Shadow Clone…" Shiga managed to force out the words, his voice strained, his body enveloped in sparks of electricity.
In the next instant, a pair of scarlet Sharingan eyes met his gaze, and then his consciousness faded.
"So, you couldn't hold back, could you?" Akira murmured with a cold smile, looking down at the collapsed Aburame. "At last, I've caught Danzo red-handed."
Not far away, Hyūga Kaori's elegant face was filled with shock, this turn of events was beyond her expectations. Shiga had suddenly attacked Akira, but it was as if Akira had anticipated it all along. In the blink of an eye, he turned the tables, neutralizing his opponent with ease.
She even suspected that Akira had intentionally provoked Aburame into making the first move.
Just as Akira was about to interrogate Shiga, the fallen shinobi's body began to bulge, strange lumps swelling under his skin. Moments later, a scratching, gnawing sound emanated from within.
Akira's expression darkened. "So, he had a backup plan..."
The insects inside Shiga had turned on him, consuming his flesh from the inside out. Now, he was nothing more than a shell, his innards completely devoured. Within seconds, black insects burrowed through his skin, spilling out.
"Danzo sure is thorough…" Akira let out a breath and quickly incinerated the crawling swarm with a Fire Style jutsu, reducing the insects to ashes.
Nearby, Hyūga Kaori hesitated, watching Akira expertly erase any trace of the incident. She thought about running—but her instincts told her it was too late. Her speed was no match for Akira's.
"Kaori, you saw it yourself. Shiga made the first move," Akira's voice broke the silence.
Kaori nodded. "Yes. Shiga was the one who attacked first."
Akira nodded, unbothered by what Kaori thought. "Now, Kaori, could you use your Byakugan to scan the area? See if there's anything hidden like that branch from before."
"Understood." Kaori activated her Byakugan, and with her help, Akira retrieved two fragments of the Ten-Tails' husk, each about a foot long.
"What's next?" Kaori asked after they'd finished clearing the site. "Should we continue the mission?"
She made no mention of what had just transpired, as if it had never happened.
Akira considered it for a moment. "Let's find a place to rest first. That fight wasn't exactly a walk in the park."
Amegakure had been left in ruins by the Third Shinobi World War, caught in the crossfire of major powers. Following Kaori's Byakugan, they located an abandoned village with some cover from the rain.
As they rested, Akira watched Kaori across the fire and asked,
"Kaori, how do you plan to report today's events?"
Kaori fell silent, contemplating his question. After a pause, she asked,
"How would you like me to report it?"
"Just report it as you saw it. There's no need to overthink it," Akira replied casually.
"Report it as I saw it?" Kaori looked at him, puzzled.
During their time together, she'd gathered a sense of who Aburame Shiga truly was. If her hunch was correct, he was one of Danzo's operatives, part of the Root—not an ordinary shinobi. Despite being from a branch family of the Hyuga clan, she knew of the longstanding tension between Danzo and the Uchiha clan.
"That's right." Akira nodded. "Report exactly what you saw. There's no need to hold back. I'll report the mission as it happened as well."
If he'd managed to capture Shiga alive, Akira might've handled it differently. But now that he had no concrete proof, there was no way the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, would act against Danzo without evidence.
Kaori looked at Akira, her gaze steady, and finally nodded.
"Understood. I'll report the details of the mission as they happened."
After a long silence, Kaori broke it again. "Akira, do we continue the mission?"
"What do you think, Kaori?" Akira replied, turning her question back to her.
"I think returning now might look as if we're not taking this S-rank mission seriously. What do you think?" A faint smile played on Kaori's lips as she met Akira's eyes.
Akira considered her words, musing aloud,
"It seems you're not too eager to return to Konoha, are you, Kaori?"
The air grew tense, silence hanging between them.
After a moment, Kaori's voice, cool and steady, broke through.
"You're right. I don't want to go back. Outside the village, on missions, I can taste a bit of freedom—even if it's fleeting. Returning to Konoha means stepping back into my cage."
Akira rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You've never considered breaking free from that cage?"
"Hmph." Kaori's serene face turned hard, her voice laced with bitterness. "Easier said than done. The Hyuga clan is rigidly hierarchical. The branch family may sound honorable, but in reality, we're just slaves to the main house. Slaves can't break their cages."
Kaori's pale eyes glanced over Akira coldly.
"Akira, it's best if you don't meddle in Hyuga affairs. Danzo may not be easy to take down, but neither is the Hyuga clan."
Akira gave a small, apologetic smile. "My apologies, Kaori. I overstepped."
He noted her intense desire for freedom and her resentment toward both the Hyuga main house and even the Hyuga clan itself. He couldn't help but think she might be useful to him someday.
"Kaori, with the Amegakure being so dangerous—enemy territory, after all—I think it's in our best interest to head back to Konoha. Don't you agree?" Akira remarked, his voice dropping back to a casual tone.
"Funny," Kaori replied, tilting her head with a sly smile. "Didn't you say before that it'd take them at least a week to recover?"
Akira shrugged. "Well, between us, we didn't even encounter the real threat."
Kaori's expression turned serious, Akira's words sending a chill through her. It was beyond what she'd imagined.
"If that's the case, we'd better leave the Amegakure immediately." Kaori gave Akira a sharp look. "This organization's strength far exceeds the village's expectations. Staying here would be a huge risk."
The following night, the two returned to Konoha and reported to the Hokage's office, detailing the mission's events.
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